Re: fake out system

     1. Create DDS for replacement file, make sure field begin/end 
     positions match your pgm described record layout. Pad blank fields 
     as necessary. Add your new date field to the end of the new record. 
     2. Rename old file. 
     3. Create new file.  
     4. CPFY old new FMTOPT(*NOCHK)
     
     The upside: programs that don't use the date probably won't need to 
     be changed at all. No recompiling required there. Modify programs 
     that use the datefld to use the external defs.
     
     Downside: this could get REALLY confusing until all programs are 
     converted to using external defs. This won't work at all if you use 
     COPYFILE to maintain the files. Whenever you'd do the COPYFILE, 
     DELETE, RENAME , you'd end up without ext defs. 
     
     There's lots of gotchas in here. I'm sure I don't remember very 
     many of them. For one, you might need to create your file w/ 
     LVLCHK(*NO). Also, I'm not sure if the record format name needs to 
     be the same as your file name. If it's a keyed file, do the key 
     field names need to be K00001? I'm not sure.... 
     
     I know that you can make this scenario work. I've done it before. 
     It's just been too many years/margaritas since I figured it out..
     
     hth
     eric.delong@pmsi-services.com


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: fake out system 
Author:  <MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com > at INET_WACO
Date:    9/24/98 11:23 AM


I have run into a small problem on a system that I have to Y2k 
convert...
     
The system has many program described files, BUT, the one file that 
requires
adding a new date format ccyymmdd doesn't have any more 
space.....soooooo
     
I have thought about somthing along these lines:
     
1. create external specs for file with DDS adding new date field 
2. create a logical with an exact layout of internal described file less 
new field
3. rename external described file to some other name 
4. rename logical to original internal described name
     
I'll still have to modify any program that uses dates but a lot of them 
don't
really use the date,,, so that cuts out a LOT of conversion time.....
     
As time permits, I'll go back and fix all programs to use new external 
description....
     
Is there some downside to doing the conversion this way ?????? 
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